''They Call Me Trinity'' () is a 1970

spaghetti Western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by

Enzo Barboni Enzo Barboni (7 July 1922 – 23 March 2002), sometimes credited by his pseudonym E.B. Clucher; the surname of his grandmother,p. 115 Wong, Alzia S. ''Spaghetti Westerns: A Viewer's Guide (National Cinemas)'' Rowman & Littlefield Publishers ( ...

(under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of E.B. Clucher) and produced by

Italo Zingarelli Italo Zingarelli (; 15 January 1930 – 29 April 2000) was an Italian film producer. He produced 26 films between 1954 and 1995. In 1981, he was a member of the jury at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival. Selected filmography * ' ...

. The film stars the duo of

Terence Hill Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with hi ...

and Bud Spencer as half-brothers Trinity and Bambino, who help defend a Mormon settlement from Mexican bandits and the henchmen of the land-grabbing Major Harriman. It was filmed on location in Campo Imperatore,

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, with financial backing from West Film. A

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

, ''

Trinity Is Still My Name ''Trinity Is Still My Name'' (, lit. "...They Kept Calling Him Trinity") is a 1971 Italian Spaghetti Western comedy film directed by Enzo Barboni. Starring the film duo of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, it is a direct sequel to '' They Call M ...

'', was more successful than ''They Call Me Trinity''. In 1995, '' Sons of Trinity'', starring Heath Kizzier and Keith Neubert, was released as a continuation of the ''Trinity'' series.

Plot

Trinity, a lazy,

ne'er-do-well "Ne'er-do-well" is a derogatory term for a good-for-nothing person; or a rogue, vagrant or vagabond without means of support. It is a contraction of the phrase ''never-do-well''. Colonial context The term ne'er-do-well was used in the ninetee ...

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers () or in the late 19th and early 20th century gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in shootouts. Today, the term "gunslin ...

with unnaturally fast drawing ability and

marksmanship A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting. In modern military usage this typically refers to the use of projectile weapons such as an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle (or a sniper rifle) to shoot ...

, is dragged on a

travois A travois (; Canadian French, from French language, French ; also travoise or travoy) is an A-frame structure used to drag loads over land, most notably by the Plains Indians of North America. Construction and use The basic construction con ...

by his horse to a way station and restaurant. There, he encounters a pair of bounty hunters with an injured Mexican prisoner. Trinity calmly takes the Mexican away from the two men, killing them before they can shoot him in the back. The pair reach a small town, where they witness the local sheriff, a large, burly man with a similarly fast drawing ability to Trinity, gunning down three men after they harass him for not allowing one of their criminal friends to be released. It becomes apparent that Trinity and the man, Bambino, are brothers. Bambino is merely posing as the new

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of the small town while he awaits the arrival of his gang from the penitentiary from which he escaped, following a run-in with the actual sheriff who incidentally took the same way as Bambino on his way to his new post. Bambino is not happy to see his trouble-making brother. However, the two form a temporary partnership to deal with Major Harriman, who is attempting to run a group of pacifist

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

farmers off their land with the intention of using their property to graze his own horses. The fact that these horses are valuable and unbranded explains Bambino's grudging willingness to work with his little brother, even though he considers Trinity to be a shiftless bum without ambition. Trinity has fallen in love with two Mormon sisters and is genuinely concerned with the Mormon settlers' welfare. He persuades Bambino and Bambino's henchmen to help train the pacifistic Mormons to fight, and in the final battle, the Mormon leader finds in the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible that "there is a time for fighting" and the Mormons are unleashed against Major Harriman's goons, using the dirty fighting tricks that they have just learned. Bambino is flabbergasted and infuriated to learn that Trinity has given the Major's horses to the Mormons. Trinity is about to be happily married to the two Mormon sisters when he learns that being a married Mormon means actually having to work, causing him to hurry after Bambino, who angrily sends him off in the opposite direction. After Bambino departs for California, the real sheriff appears, and Trinity points him in Bambino's direction. Trinity then reclines in his travois and brings up the rear with his horse, following them all.

Cast

as Trinity, "The Right Hand of the Devil" * Bud Spencer as Bambino, "The Left Hand of the Devil" * Farley Granger as Major Harriman * Steffen Zacharias as Jonathan * Dan Sturkie as Tobias * Gisela Hahn as Sarah * Elena Pedemonte as Judith * Ezio Marano as Weasel * Luciano Rossi as Timid * Michele Cimarosa as Drunken Mexican *

Ugo Sasso Ugo Sasso, born Domenico Pasquale Giuseppe Sasso (23 March 1910 - 21 July 1981), was an Italian film and television actor. Life and career Born in Turin, in the early 1930s Sasso moved to Rome to attend the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografi ...

as crippled Sheriff *

Remo Capitani Remo Capitani (19 December 1927 – 14 February 2014), also known as Ray O'Connor and Ray O'Conner, was an Italian actor from Rome. He was probably best known for his role in the western '' They Call Me Trinity'' as Mezcal, a Mexican thief ...

as Mezcal * Riccardo Pizzuti as Jeff * Paolo Magalotti as Harriman Henchman * Antonio Monselesan as Bounty Hunter * Gaetano Imbrò as Blond Bounty Hunter * Gigi Bonos as Ozgur, the Bartender

Production

Director

wrote the original story and screenplay for the film. Initially, the script only included the Trinity character and not Bambino but producer

suggested the inclusion of a brother. When the film was first announced, Peter Martell was set to play Trinity and

George Eastman George Eastman (July 12, 1854March 14, 1932) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Kodak, Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. After a decade of experiments in photography, he ...

as Bambino. The two characters were later portrayed by

and Bud Spencer, who were then a popular comic duo following the release of

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film '' God Forgives... I Don't!'' in October 1967 in Italy, where they were cast as comedic and violent characters. Hill and Spencer did their own stunts in the film with the rest of the supporting cast being portrayed predominantly by stuntmen. Interiors and the towns in the film were shot at Incir De Paolis Studios in Rome. The stage station was shot at Magliana quarry in

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

, while the valley locations were shot at Parco Dei Monti Simbruini. The waterfall scene was shot at Treja Valley Park. The main title song was written by Franco Micalizzi and Lally Stott. It is sung by Annibale Giannarelli. "Trinity: Titoli" was later used as the closing theme for

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

's 2012 Western ''

Django Unchained ''Django Unchained'' ( ) is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Tarantino's A Band Apart and Columbia Pictures, it stars Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry W ...

''.

Release

''They Call Me Trinity'' was released in Italy just before Christmas 1970. It proved very popular abroad, such as in Spain, where it outgrossed all previous Italian Westerns, save for ''

For a Few Dollars More ''For a Few Dollars More'' () is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters and Gian Maria Volonté as the primary villain. Klaus Kinski plays a supporting role as a se ...

''. The film further proved foundational for future German dubs of Hill and Spencer films: the main dialogue was rewritten to be more humorous, with initially silent areas of the original film receiving additional dialogue from characters with their back to the camera. The film was released in the United States and United Kingdom in 1971. As of 2004, ''They Call Me Trinity'' was the 22nd most successful Italian film, one position below '' The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly''.

Critical reception

Howard Thompson of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' praised the film's sense of humour, as did

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

, who gave the film two-and-a-half out of four stars. In a review published by '' Time Out'', the film is called "first and best in the ''Trinity'' series of spaghetti Westerns, rare in that it is successful in combining laughter and some degree of interest in the action". In his book ''Once Upon a Time in the Italian West: The Filmgoers' Guide to Spaghetti Westerns'', author Howard Hughes writes "''They Call Me Trinity'' is Hill and Spencer's finest vehicle".

Legacy

Following initial popularity, a variety of derivatives were released, such as '' Two Sons of Trinity'' and the '' Carambola!'' series, the latter of which featured Hill and Spencer lookalikes Michael Coby and Paul L. Smith. Other films using the ''They Call Me...'' title include '' They Call Me Hallelujah'' (1971), '' They Call Me Cemetery'' (1971), and '' They Call Me Holy Ghost'' (1972). In 1987,

directed a contemporary "remake", entitled '' They Call Me Renegade''.

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

* * {{Enzo Barboni Trinity (film series) 1970 films Mormonism in fiction Spaghetti Western films 1970s Western (genre) comedy films Films set in the 19th century Terence Hill and Bud Spencer Films about identity theft Films shot in Abruzzo Films scored by Franco Micalizzi 1970 comedy films 1970s Italian films